Fabricating stable, selective catalyst layers on gas diffusion electrodes for high current density CO2 electrolysis

Title:  Fabricating stable, selective catalyst layers on gas diffusion electrodes for high current density CO2 electrolysis

Speaker:  A/Prof Tom Rufford, School of Chemical Engineering, UQ Dow Centre for Sustainable Engineering Innovation, and ARC Centre of Excellence for Green Electrochemical Transformation of CO2 (GETCO2)

Abstract: Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide, or CO2 electrolysis, powered by renewable energy has been suggested as one of many strategies to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions from industrial point sources or coupled with direct air capture. Low-temperature electrolyser technologies have several potential advantages, such as modular design, mild operating conditions, and the opportunity to tune the reaction towards desiredA products. However, there remain challenges to the performance of CO2 electrolysers at industrial-relevant current densities (> 200 mA/cm2). In this seminar, I will highlight our recent work on electrode fabrication to improve the efficiency and stability of gas diffusion electrodes (GDE) in CO2 electrolysers. The key examples I will share are studies on (1) wettability and flooding of electrolytes in the GDE and (2) optimizing the catalyst ink formation to prepare highly selective catalyst layers for C2+ production. I’ll conclude the presentation with a summary of research approaches in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Green Electrochemical Transformation of CO2 (GETCO2) to address some of the future challenges in CO2 electrolysis and related technologies.